Socialist Spin

With Chinese leaders huddled this week in their annual meeting of the legislature, some are trying out a newly acquired political tool: spin. While some veteran pols are still comfortable describing the Dalai Lama as “a wolf in monk’s clothing,” or Rupert Murdoch as a “very old political monk shuffling around in Gucci shoes,” other officials are trying a subtler hand. Recently, for instance, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi paused to parse the question of whether China is acting “tough” in its recent diplomacy. “To stick to one’s principles and being tough are two completely different matters,” he said at a press conference the other day.

For the domestic audience, officials are still struggling with the concept of persuading rather than declaiming. Earlier this week, a provincial governor named Li Hongzhong snatched a digital recorder out of the hands of a reporter who had asked an unwelcome question and threatened to track down her boss. The story took flight on Chinese bulletin boards, despite efforts to censor it, and the next day, Li had no choice but to come back with a declaration that he is “not afraid of media reports, as long as the coverage is objective.” (Some reports are still asking why he has stopped short of an apology, so I won’t be surprised to see Li walk it back further in the days ahead.)

I was on a Chinese state-television chat show not long ago, after being invited to discuss the stated topic of what Chinese leaders “can do to improve their image.” In the course of it, I suggested that one way to project transparency would be to grant me an interview with the President. The phone has yet to ring.

Evan Osnos joined The New Yorker as a staff writer in 2008, and covers politics and foreign affairs.